Tag Archives: dan harr

After four seasons, ABC pulled the plug on its hit series, “Nashville.” The reaction from fans was swift and intense. It almost felt like their favorite band broke up and that is true in many ways. The triple Exes, The Avery Barkley Band and Maddie Conrad felt as real as actual country stars to millions of fans. That’s probably because the cast has legitimate talent and some have street…

Is this a great country or what? There’s room for every type of music in America, from steampunk and Motown to bluegrass and avant-garde. And there’s even room for a guy like Legendary Big Gerry. Legendary Big Gerry is an artist who performs Irish, Celtic, Americana and Christmas music, and American classics like “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “Dixie,” with an occasional…

Jeff Slate of Esquire magazine recently pronounced Bob Dylan The Greatest American Singer Of All Time. A subjective opinion, obviously, like asking who was the real Allman Brothers natural virtuoso, Duane or Dickey (Dickey of course). But no matter what you think of Dylan’s voice, it’s back again on his second album of Sinatra covers in as many years, Fallen Angels. And it’s wonderful.

Pure Gardiya is the latest solo release from one of Australia’s greatest weirdos and psychedelia incarnate – Nicholas Allbrook. He is garnering quite a reputation – personally and professionally the trippy rocker has been turning heads all over the world for years now. Most well known as the bizarre front man of Aussie face-melters Pond, Allbrook was also part of Tame Impala…

Halcyon Drive are back with their second EP Untethered and the Melbourne former duo – now trio – have taken their distinctive brand of alternative pop to a whole other level. The five tracks burst with echoing vocals and looping experimentations that form catchy melodies in a perfect pop mould. Taking the pop up a notch, Halcyon Drive deliver a bouncy, rhythmic, yet intensely…

They’ve been around for the past seven years or so, but Bluegrass band NewTown, with some new members and a new producer (Union Station’s Barry Bales), is sounding tighter and better than ever on their new single, “Harlan Road.” NewTown features two principal singers, Kati Penn (also an award-winning fiddle player) and her banjo-wielding husband…

One of the hardest-working, rising stars in the Nashville television, film and even literary world, is Mary Edwards. As of this writing, the Nashville-based entertainment impresario has no fewer than a half-dozen TV, film, and book projects in the works, with more new projects being added at a rapid clip. The project Mary is most proud of: “Murder On Music Row,” a fledgling TV…

A number of celebrated, groundbreaking artists are captured at the height of their powers via a slew of outstanding springtime releases. Artist: Santana. Title: Santana IV (Santana IV Records).
You might like if you enjoy: Early Santana, War. Tell me more: For the first time since the early 1970s, the original members of Santana reformed to record, the …

In an era where a professionally made song, which needed an experience engineer to produce fully, can be concocted in the ones and zeroes of computerised programs like GarageBand or ProTools, it is easy to get swayed by such convenient tools and forget about organic analog instruments that built the roots of modern music.

NewTown is one of the hottest Bluegrass acts going these days, and their new album, Harlan Road, finds the band sounding better than ever. With three new members, the group’s lineup now includes founders Kati Penn (vocals and fiddle) and her husband, Jr. Williams (vocals and banjo), with Hayes Griffin on guitar and vocals, Travis Anderson on bass and vocals, and Mitchell Cannon on mandolin.

Alternative Sydney 5-piece, Bin Juice are consistent purveyors of dirty, hard hitting grooves. They sat down with Happy over some beers to get to the bottom of that irresistible sound and to help us decipher some of the finer details of what makes them tick. Strap in for something a little weird. Hey fellas, thanks for taking some time out, what have you guys been…

Radiohead fall into the pseudo-deified class of bands hailed as musical geniuses. Famous for their eclectic, ground-breaking musical arrangements and stunning vocal talent, the beacons for the misunderstood headed by Thom Yorke have decades of success, industry respect and strangeness associated with their image. Unfortunately for bands with such stellar credentials, the curse of astronomical expectation hangs heavy. Two weeks ago the band flew off the grid, erasing their social media presence online and…

Seldom does a performer or group actually have the ability to fulfill the promise of the hype surrounding them. Country vocal trio Southern Halo is one of those rare acts, though, that not only has the goods, but delivers them, and has the Nashville music industry paying serious attention. Comprised of teenage sisters Natalia (just turned 19), Christina (17), and Hannah Morris (16), Southern …

As a performer it’s imperative that you set up and maintain a great website. It should be the hub of all of your marketing efforts. It can be anywhere from 5 to 15 pages but there are things that it definitely needs to have or to accomplish. We’ll talk about them in this blog article. The first decision is whether to have a professional do your website or whether you will be designing…

In this fast-changing digital world, the art of blogging has become a fun and educational pastime for many. Over the years, I’ve found that readership picks up when you provide information people can use. Following are a few tips for creating a successful blog. Choose a topic/activity you love or have experience with. Most bloggers write about things they’ve learned and applied in real…

The American country music scene never ceases to produce top-end music deeply rooted in the country’s roots and the artists always have the challenge presented to them to bring new life to the genre that always sounds the same, but still sounds like home for Americans. Kentucky-based artist Jamie Suttle doesn’t try to be above it all and step out of her comfort zone as I have observed …

What is it about chaos and sonic violence that keeps us coming back for more? Perhaps the cathartic release of ten-tonne riffs and hailstorm drums are sending us down a path of emotional freedom; even some scientific studies agree. Regardless of the why, Japam have the how down pat in their new EP How’s My EP?

If there’s one thing that jazz guitar legend Pat Metheny can always be expected to do, it’s the unexpected. On two new excellent (as always) releases, Metheny continues to never be satisfied with what he did last year or the year before, always stretching the boundaries of recorded art in general and jazz in particular. On The Unity Sessions, Metheny and his Unity Band play…

“Little White Dress,” the opening track of the self-titled debut album by Southern Halo, begins with 16 seconds of a cappella singing, establishing right off the bat what this group is all about – great vocals. This trio of teenage sisters – lead singer Natalia Morris and her harmonizing younger sisters, Christina and Hannah – conjures instant comparisons to SHeDAISY or the Dixie Chicks. Add in…

Get ready to meet your fate when “The Six-String Siren,” guitarist Diana Rein, releases her highly-anticipated sophomore album Long Road (Street Date: Wednesday, May 18). Written, recorded and produced by Diana Rein, the disc features twelve original tracks on which Rein sings, plays lead, bass, and rhythm guitar. Long Road was mixed and mastered by Peter Duff at Grey Brick…